UFC 286 Results: Winners, Scorecards from Edwards vs. Usman 3 Card
Leon Edwards sent a statement to all the doubters and the welterweight division at UFC 286, defeating Kamaru Usman in their trilogy fight by majority decision.
Fighting in front of the London crowd at the O2 Arena certainly didn't hurt. But it was Edwards, skills and endurance that helped carry him to the decision win.
Usman attempted to pressure Edwards throughout the five-round affair but Rocky was able to turn back his advances with a combination of body kicks, boxing and takedown defense that frustrated Usman.
There was a little bit of controversy. Edwards was deducted a point for grabbing the fence in the third round and later landed a low blow kick that frustrated Usman. That puts a small damper on the win, but Edwards still scored enough in the eyes of two judges to get the nod and retain his championship belt.
While the first win against Usman came from a well-placed high kick in the fifth round, this was a case of Edwards winning the fight for the majority of five rounds.
It opens up a whole new world of possibilities in the welterweight division and puts serious respect on Edwards' name.
UFC 286 Results
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Main Card
Leon Edwards def. Kamaru Usman via majority decision
Justin Gaethje def. Rafael Fiziev via majority decision
Gunnar Nelson def. Bryan Barberena via sub (armbar) (Round 1, 4:51)
Jennifer Maia def. Casey O'Neill via unanimous decision (30-27, 29-28 x2)
Marvin Vettori def. Roman Dolidze via unanimous decision (29-28 x2, 30-27)
Prelims
Jack Shore def. Makwan Amirkhani via sub (rear-naked choke) (Round 2, 4:27)
Chris Duncan def. Omar Morales via split decision (30-27, 28-29, 29-28)
Yanal Ashmoz def. Sam Pattersion via first-round KO (1:15)
Muhammad Mokaev def. Jafel Filho via submission (rear-naked choke) (Round 3, 4:52)
Lerone Murphy def. Gabriel Santos via split decision (29-28 x2, 28-29)
Christian Leroy Duncan def. Dusko Todorovic via first-round TKO (injury) (1:52)
Jake Hadley def. Malcolm Gordon via first-round TKO (1:01)
Joanne Wood def. Luana Carolina via split decision (28-29, 30-27, 29-28)
Jai Herbert vs. Ludovit Klein ruled majority draw (29-27, 28-28 x2)
Veronica Hardy def. Juliana Miller via unanimous decision (30-27 x3)
Justin Gaethje def. Rafael Fiziev
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A Justin Gaethje fight never disappoints. Most of the time, that means it goes his way.
Gaethje and Fiziev put on an instant classic in the co-main event. The two lightweights just slugged it out over the course of three rounds. Fiziev impressed early with his speed and established himself as a threat to Gaethje early on.
But beating The Highlight in an absolute brawl is always a tough test. Gaethje matched Fiziev's intensity and answered his speed with power, hurting Fiziev's eye in the process.
The fight was just another chapter in a long book of classic fights that the 34-year-old has put on in his career. His leg kicks and powerful striking were the difference in a fight that derails some of Fiziev's momentum.
With a win over Gaethje, he would have had a case to be in a title fight soon.
Now he has some work to do, and no one would complain if that meant a rematch with Gaethje.
Gunnar Nelson def. Bryan Barberena
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It remains a nearly universal truth: If Gunnar Nelson takes you down, you're going to have a bad time.
This time it was Bryan Barberena who learned that lesson the hard way.
Nelson had a nearly flawless performance. He missed just one strike and one takedown but dragged Barberena to the mat and worked his way to eventually get in position to lock in an armbar and draw the tap.
The welterweight's ability to win fights by submission is something to behold. The tap marked his 13th win by submission in his career.
Nelson doesn't fight much anymore. He's only made two appearances in the last two years, but when he does, it's always fun to see whether he'll add yet another submission to his growing list.
Jennifer Maia def. Casey O'Neill
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The women's flyweight division is more wide-open than ever with Alexa Grasso recently unseating Valentina Shevchenko atop the weight class. Jennifer Maia made it clear that she still wants to be considered a threat in the division.
The 34-year-old put on a striking clinic against the previously unbeaten O'Neill. She was patient as O'Neill was the aggressor throughout the fight and turned that aggression against her with a much more accurate and reserved approach in the striking.
The result was a 140-113 strike advantage throughout the three-round fight. More importantly, Maia's punches were visually more effective, often knocking O'Neill off balance and forcing her to regroup.
O'Neill made a late run in the third round. She switched from volume to power as desperation set in, but it was too little, too late at that point.
Now she'll have to bounce back from the first loss of her career, while Maia has renewed momentum after winning back-to-back fights.
Marvin Vettori def. Roman Dolidze
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Marvin Vettori escaped with an important win over Roman Dolidze to kick off the main card. Despite three rounds of back-and-forth action all three judges scored the fight for The Italian Dream, one judge even scored it 30-27 for the former title challenger.
The clean sweep on one card stood out because Dolidze got off to a strong start. He stung Vettori with a few overhand rights that landed to the head and was in trouble early in the fight.
However, his toughness and endurance were key factors in the win. He stormed back to take the second round landing some fight-changing salvos of his own in the second frame.
That set us up with a fun third-round scenario in which it seemed the fight was tied up at one round apiece.
Vettori got his hand raised and used his post-fight interview to call out a whole slew of middleweight contenders:
Vettori had lost two of his last three, but a win over Dolidze likely gets him back into that caliber of opponent.
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